Envelope stuffing and sealing machine



April 15, 1958 KERN Re. 24,459

I ENVELOPE STUFF ING AND SEALING MACHINE Original Filed March 26, 1952 I6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR April 15, 1958 M. KERN ENVELOPE STUFFING-ANDSEALING MACHINE Original Filed March 26, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 PIC-3.2,

INVENTOR M l'm/n, B

April 15, 1958 M. KERN Re. 24,459

ENVELOPE STUFFING AND SEALING MACHINE I Original Filed March 26, 1952 6Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 7 April 15, 1958 M. KERN Re. 24,459

ENVELOPE STUFFING AND SEALINGMACHINE Original Filed March 26, 1952 6Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATToR'N EY A ril 15, 1958 M. KERN ENVELQPESTUFFING AND SEALING MACHINE Original Filed March 26. 1952 6Sheets-Sheet 5 F l G. 9.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 15, 1958 M. KERN mom STUFFING AND SEALINGMACHINE Original Filed March 26. 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 5 PIC-1'12.

INVENTOR bale Q/Jm ATTORNEY United States Patent Original No. 2,728,178,dated December 27, 1955, Serial No. 278,594, March 26, 1952. Applicationfor reissue January 15, 1957, Serial No. 634,392

Claims priority, application Switzerland July 7, 1951 17 Claims. (Cl.53-188) Matter enclosed in heavy original patent but forms no cation;made by reissue.

brackets II] appears in the part of this reissue specifi- This inventionrelates to envelope stuffing machines such as are employed for insertingletters, circulars, documents or other mail matter into envelopes.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novelenvelope stufling machine which is comparatively simple in construction,positive in operation, and inexpensive to manufacture, and which willinsert folded letter-sheets, circular, documents, and the like, as wellas other sheet-like inclosures, into envelopes at a high rate of speedwith reliable accuracy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel envelope stuflingmachine which will rapidly and ethciently fold letter-sheets, circulars,documents and the like, to envelope size, and insert the same intoenvelopes.

Another object is to provide an envelope stuffing machine of novelconstruction which will effectively insert folded letter-sheets,circulars, and the like, as well as other sheet-like inclosures, intoenvelopes, and discharge said envelopes therefrom in sealed condition.

Another object is to provide a novel envelope stuffing machine which iscapable of inserting into envelopes, folded letter-sheets, documents,circulars, and the like, or simple inclosures such as, cards, paperslips, leaflets and the like, or folded letter-sheets, documents,circulars, and the like combined with cards, paper slips, leaflets,return envelopes, and the like, as desired.

A further object is to provide a envelope stuffing machine of novelconstruction, whereby additional inclosures, such as cards, paper slips,leaflets, return envelopes, and the like, may be efliciently enclosedwithin folded letter-sheets, circulars, and the like, during the foldingof the letter and prior to insertion of the same into the envelopes.

Still another object is to provide an envelope stuffing machine havingnovel simplified means for inserting folded letter-sheets, circulars,and the like, as well as other sheet-like unfolded inclosures, intoenvelopes in a positive and reliably accurate manner.

Another object is to provide an envelope stuffing machine having meansof novel construction and operation for extracting an envelope from asupply thereof, opening the flap of said envelope, opening the body ofsaid envelope, and accurately positioning said envelope for thereception therein of the insert material.

Still another object is to provide a novelly constructed sheet folding,envelope stuffing and sealing machine which is comparatively small insize and light in weight, and which may be table-mounted andconveniently transported from place to place.

The above and further objects and novel features of the presentinvention will more fully appear from the following detail descriptionwhen the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Itis to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for thepurpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of thelimits of the invention.

matter printed in italics indicates the additions In the drawings,wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout theseveral views,

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view'of a sheet folding,envelope stuffing and sealing machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view looking toward one side of said machine;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view looking toward the opposite side of saidmachine;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical transverse sectional view of driving andcoupling means, and including a detail side view of the driven gear, anda fragmentary top plan view of the coupling control lever;

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevational view, partly in section, of theleft-hand section of a stuffing device or pocket, as viewed in Fig. 5and looking from the right of said figure;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the stuffing device or pocket andoperating means therefor;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of said machine, with parts omitted forpurposes of clearer illustration;

Figs. 7 to 10,.inclusive, are side elevational views, partly in section,showing successively certain of the parts in the positions they occupyfor eifecting the extraction of an envelope from the supply and thepositioning of said envelope for the introduction of the stuflingtherein;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing certainof the parts in the positions they occupy when the stufiing device isintroduced into the envelope and the latter with the inclosures thereinis advanced to an envelope-flap moistening device; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section,showing certain of the parts in the positions they occupy for effectingthe moistening of the envelopefiap, the closing and sealing of themoistened envelopeflap, and the discharge of the sealed envelope fromthe machine.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate, by way of example, oneembodiment of the present invention, 1 indicates a base-plate havingsuitably secured thereto two upright side frame members 2 and 3.Disposed between and journalled in suitable hearings in the side members2, 3 is a pair of sheet feeding rollers 4 and 5, and a set of sheetfolding rollers 6, 7 and 8. The rollers 4 to 8 are provided at oppositeends thereof with journals 9 (Figs. 2 and 6) and secured to saidjournals exteriorly of the side member 2 are gears 9 which mesh witheach other. diameter, and the gears 9' are of the same pitch diameter sothat said rollers are driven at the same peripheral speed. Located belowthe rollers 4 to 8 is a main drive shaft 11 passing through andjournalled in suitable bearings in the side members 2, 3. Secured to oneend of the shaft 11 exteriorly of the side member 2 is a gear 12 whichmeshes with a relatively wide face gear 10 which, in turn, meshes withthe gear 9 on the feed roller 4 to impart rotation to the rollers 4 to 8during the operation of the machine. Gear 12 meshes with and is drivenby the smaller gear of a compounded intermediate gear 13 which issuitably journalled on the side member 2, the larger gear of saidcompound meshing with a pinion 14 secured to the armature shaft of anelectric motor 15 which is suitably supported between the side members2, 3 and drives the machine. The shaft 11 is driven so that it makes onerevolution for each cycle of operation of the machine.

Disposed above the group of rollers 4 to 8 and suitably supported by theside-members 2, 3, is a sheet registering or positioning plate 16inclined at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal. In theillustrated embodiment, the plate 16 is disposed at an approximate angleof 60 degrees to. the horizontal. Disposed opposite and for,

The rollers 4 to 8 are all of the same' 3 wardly of the' plate 16 is aforwardly inclined supportplate 17 for a supply of insert material, suchas lettersheets, circulars, documents, and the like. The sheetregistering plate 16 is provided with adjustable lateral guides 18 andhas its lower end located adjacent to the bite of the feeding rollers 4and 5. Located below the plate 16 is a transverse rock shaft 19 having asheet gage or stop 20 secured thereto for pivotal movement into and outof the path of sliding movement of a letter or other sheet on the plate16. The operation of the rock shaft 19 and sheet stop 20 is synchronizedwith the operations of other mechanisms of the machine, and when thesheet stop 20 is swung downwardly, the sheet on the plate 16 is releasedand slides by gravity from said plate and enters between the drivenfeeding rollers 4 and 5. When the sheet stop 20 is thereafter swungupwardly to the position shown in Fig. l, the sliding movement of thenext sheet placed on the plate 16 from the supply on the plate 17 isarrested by said stop and is properly positioned parallel with the axesof the feed rollers 4, for subsequent feeding accurately to said rollersin the manner described during the next cycle of operation of themachine. There is provided a second sheet gage or stop in the form oftwo pins 22 spaced upwardly from the sheet stop and secured to atransverse rock shaft 21, whereby the feeding of successive sheets tothe rollers 4, 5 at predetermined intervals is assured and facilitated.The shaft 19 is journalled at its opposite ends in suitable hearings inthe side members 2, 3, and the shaft 21 is journalled in suitablebearings provided on the plate 16. The shafts 19, 21 and stops 20, 22are actuated by mechanism to be hereinafter described.

Each letter or other sheet delivered between the feeding rollers 4 and 5upon downward pivotal movement of the sheet stop 20 is advanced by saidrollers between the feeding roller 5 and folding roller-6 which furtheradvance said sheet into and along a fold plate 23 until the leading edgeof the sheet strikes a stop 25 disposed within said fold plate andadjustably secured thereto by a clamp screw 24. The fold plate 25 isarranged at an approximate angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal andcomprises upper and lower plates suitably carried in spaced parallelrelation by the side members 2, 3. Upon engagement of the leading edgeof the sheet with the stop 25 in fold plate 23, the position of thefirst fold in the sheet is determined, and due to continued feedingaction of the rollers 5, 6 on the trailing portion of said sheet, thelatter is caused to buckle towards and into engagement with the rollers6 and 7, whereupon the latter rollers grip the sheet at the buckledportion thereof, thus forming a first fold in said sheet. Theonce-folded sheet is then advanced by the rollers 6, 7 into and along asecond fold plate 26 until the leading folded edge of said sheet strikesa stop 23 disposed within said plate and adjustably secured thereto by aclamp screw 27. The fold plate 26 is also arranged at an approximateangle of 45 degrees to the horizontal and comprises upper and lowerplates suitably carried in spaced parallel relation by the side members2, 3. Upon engagement of the leading folded edge of the once-foldedsheet with the stop 28 in fold plate 26, said sheet is again caused tobuckle, this time towards and into engagement with the rollers 7 and 8,whereupon the latter rollers grip the once-folded sheet at the buckledportion thereof, thus forming a second fold in said sheet parallel tothe first fold. The twice folded letter or other sheet is then advancedby the rollers 7 and 8 into a tapered stufiing device or pocket 29 whichis disposed horizontally in front of said rollers with the larger orwider end adjacent the rollers and the smaller or narrower end remotefrom said rollers. As shown in Fig. 5, the stuffing device 29 is in theform of an open-ended flattened tube divided into two transverselyspaced and aligned sections for a purpose to appear hereinafter.

, There is provided below the sheet registering or positioning plate 16a horizontal plate 33, a cooperating front stop or gage 34, and a pairof opposed feeding rollers and 36. The plate 33 is suitably supported bythe side members 2, 3 and is provided with aportion 33 inclineddownwardly at an approximate angle of 60 degrees to the horizontal andextending substantially to and disposed substantially in the plane ofthe bite of the rollers 35, 36. The rollers 35, 36 are journalled atopposite ends thereof in suitable bearings in the side members 2, 3. Theroller 36 is driven by the aforementioned gear 10 which is secured toone of the journals of said roller, and the roller 35 is driven by theroller 36 through frictional contact therewith. The front stop or gage34 is secured to a transverse rock shaft 148 which is journalled atopposite ends thereof in the side members 2, 3 and is operated insynchronism with the stops 20, 22 by mechanism to be hereinafterdescribed. The plate 33 is adapted to support a supply of supplementalinclosures or inserts, such as cards, paper slips, leaflets, returnenvelopes, and the like, which do not require folding thereof in themachine prior to insertion of the same into the envelopes. Asupplemental insert taken from the supply thereof on plate 33 is placedon the plate-portion 33' and in feeding position against the front stop34. Upon downward pivotal movement of the stop 34, the supplementalinsert is received by the rollers 35, 36 from the plate 33, 33' and.advanced by said rollers into and through a curved funnel-shapedfeedchute 37 which is located with its smaller or narrower end openinginto the fold plate 26 adjacentto and substantially tangent with thebite of the folding rollers 7 and 8. The feed-chute 37 may be suitablycarried by the side members 2, 3 or the fold plate 26, and serves toguide the supplemental inserts from the rollers 35, 36 through said foldplate and directly between the rollers 7, 3 for movement thereby intothe stufling device or pocket 29.

Disposed below the group of rollers 4 to 8 is a transverse rock shaft 38which is journalled at its opposite ends in suitable bearings in theside members 2, 3.

Secured to the shaft 38 interiorly of and adjacent to the side members2, 3 are two levers 39 which are connected together at their upper endsby a transverse rod 40. Secured to the rod 40 adjacent the levers 39 aretwo levers 41 which, in turn, are connected together by two transverseparallel rods 42 and 43. Secured to the rods 42, 43 is an arm 44 (Figs.4 and 5) to the upper end of which is secured one of the sections of thestufiing device or pocket 29. Slidably mounted on the rods 42, 43 is asecond arm 45 (Fig. 5) to the upper end of which is secured the other ofthe sections of the stuffing device or pocket 29. Surrounding the rod 43is a coil compression spring 46 having one end thereof engaging againstthe arm 45 and the opposite end engaging against a collar 47 secured tosaid rod. Journalled on the arm 45 is a roller 48 which is adapted toengage an end cam when the stufling device 29 is in its normalinsert-receiving position shown in Fig. 1, said roller being yieldinglyurged towards and into engagement with said cam by the expanding actionof the spring 46. The cam 50 is fixed on a transverse shaft 49 which isjournalled in suitable hearings in the side members 2, 3. As will behereinafter described, the shaft 49 is driven to make one completerevolution for each cycle of operation of the machine, and is clutchcontrolled so that the stufling device or pocket 29, and the envelopefeeding and moistening devices to be hereinafter described and actuatedfrom said shaft, will only be thrown into operation when and while themachine is supplied with the material to be inserted into the envelopes.

It will be apparent that upon rotation of the shaft 49 and engagement ofthe cam 50 thereon with the roller 48, the movable section of thestuffing device or pocket 29 will be shifted laterally relative to thefixed section, first outwardly farther away from said fixed section bythe cam to expand the pocket 29 and thereby facilitate insertion of theinsert material into said pocket by the rollers 7 and 8, and theninwardly closer to the fixed section by the spring 46 to again contractthe pocket 29 for the introduction of the latter together with thecontents thereof into an opened envelope, as hereinafter described.

The stuffing pocket or device 29 is rocked from its normalinsert-receiving position (Fig. 1) adjacent the rollers 7 and 8 toenvelope stufling position (Fig. 11) once for each cycle of operation ofthe machine. For this purpose, the shaft 38 'has secured theretoexteriorly of the side member 2 a lever 51 (Fig. 2) having connectedthereto one end of an extension coil spring 52, the opposite end ofwhich is connected as at 53 to said side member. The lever 51 hasjournalled thereon a roller 54 which engages a cam 55 and is maintainedin engagement with said cam by the contracting action of the spring 52.The cam 55 is journalled on a stud 56 carried by the side member 2, andsaid cam is driven from the clutch controlled shaft 49 through gears 57,57', 58 and 106 of identical size to make one complete revolution foreach cycle of operation of the machine. The gear 57 is secured to thecam 55, the gear 106 is secured to the shaft 49, and the gears 57 and 58are suitably journalled on the side member 2. The stutfing device orpocket 29 is thus rocked about the axis 38 forwardly away from therollers 7, 8 by the spring 52, and rearwardly towards said rollers bythe cam 55.

Spaced forwardly of the sheet positioning plate 16 and of thesheet-supply-supporting plate 17, and disposed approximately at the samelevel as said plates, is a forwardly inclined magazine or holder 59 forreceiving and supporting a supply of envelopes which are piled in saidmagazine with their sealing flaps folded and at the bottom and facingtowards the front of the magazine. The magazine 59 is provided in thefloor or bottom wall thereof with an opening 60 to expose the sealingflap of the lowermost envelope and to provide an outlet for thewithdrawal of said envelope. The rear Wall 63 of the magazine 59terminates at the lower end thereof a distance above the bottom wall ofsaid magazine to provide a free space between said bottom wall and saidrear wall. The magazine 59 is adjustable to accommodate envelopes ofdifferent sizes, and is supported by a transverse shaft 61 through themedium of split-arms 62 which are secured to opposite sides of saidmagazine and are releasably clamped to said shaft for adjustmenttherealong. Shaft 61 also serves as a tie member for the side-framemembers 2 and 3.

Spaced rearwardly of the magazine 59 is a short transverse shaft 64which is journalled in suitable hearings on the side walls of saidmagazine. Secured to the shaft 64 centrally thereof is a lever 65provided with a gate-piece 66 which is adapted to close the spacebeneath the rear wall 63 of the magazine 59 and thereby perventaccidental withdrawal of more than one envelope at a time from saidmagazine. Disposed below the magazine 59 is a transverse rock shaft 67having secured thereto interiorly of and adjacent to the side members 2,3 two curved arms 68 which rotatably carry at their upper ends atransverse rod 68'. Secured to the rod 68 is an envelope-flap openingmember 69 which is of relatively narrow width and is provided with acounter Weight 70 for continuously urging said member upwardly intoengagement with the lowermost envelope in the magazine 59 through alongitudinal opening in the bottom wall of said magazine. Theflapopening member 69 is tapered to a thin edge atthe leading endthereof, and is provided at said end with a curved flap-deflectingportion 69'. A cover plate 71 provided with a handle 72 is looselyplaced on top of the envelopes in the magazine 59 to compress the sameand apply downward pressure thereon. Rocking motion is imparted to theshaft 67 and levers 68 once for each cycle of operation of the machine,and this operation is clutch controlled and is effected by means to behereinafter described.

It will thus appear that when the levers 68 are rocked rearwardly in thedirection of the rollers 4 to 8, the en'- velope fiap opening member 69rides along the lowermost envelope in the magazine 59, engages the flapof said envelope, deflects and unfolds the same and extends it beyondthe rear wall 63 of said magazine, as shown in Fig. 7. While the flap ofthe lowermost envelope is being unfolded and extended by the member 69,the gate-piece 66 is swung away from the magazine 59, as shown in Fig.7, to completely release said flap. For this purpose, the shaft 64 hassecured thereto an arm 66' which extends downwardly therefrom into thepath of rearward movement of the rod 68 for engagement and operation bysaid rod. After the sealing flap of the lowermost envelope is unfoldedand extended by the flap-opening member 69, the levers 68 are rocked inthe opposite direction and returned to their original positions,whereupon the member 69 is also returned to its original position, andthe arm 66' is released by the rod 68' causing the gate-piece 66 toswing closed and trap all but the lowermost envelope in the magazine 59.

Substantially simultaneous with the retraction of theenvelope-flap-opening member 69, the extended sealing flap of thelowermost envelope is seized by cooperating gripper elements 75 and 82,as shown in Fig. 8, at transversely spaced points for extracting saidenvelope downwardly and rearwardly from the magazine 59 in the directionof the rollers 4 to 8, said extraction occurring after the gate-piece 66is closed so that the next or overlying envelope in the magazine is heldby said gate-piece against movement from said magazine with thelowermost envelope. The gripper element 75 is in the form of a singlewedge-shaped bar extending transversely of the machine and secured atopposite ends thereof to two levers 74 which are disposed interiorly ofthe side members 2, 3 and are secured to a transverse rock shaft 73extending through and journalled in suitable bearings in said sidemembers. Rocking movement is imparted to the shaft 73, levers 74, andgripper-bar 75 once for each cycle of operation of the machine, and thisoperation is effected through the medium of a lever 76, a connecting rod77, an extension coil spring 77', a lever 78 and a cam 79 (Fig. 2). Thelever 76 is disposed exteriorly of the side member 2 and is secured tothe shaft 73, the cam lever 78 is pivotally mounted on said side member,the connecting rod 77 is pivotally connected to said levers, and the cam79 is fixed on one end of a transverse shaft 125 and engages a roller'78 journalled on the lever 78. The roller 78 is maintained inengagement with the cam 79 by the spring 77 which has one end thereofconnected to the lever 78 and the opposite end connected to the sidemember 2. The shaft 125 is clutch controlled and is driven to make onerevolution for each cycle of operation of the machine by gearing to bepresently described.

Telescoped over and rotatably mounted on the shaft 73 is a tubular shaft80 having one end thereof journalled in and projecting through asuitable bearing in the side member 3. Secured to or formed integrallywith the tubular shaft 80 are two axially spaced arms 8.?1 which carryat their lower ends the gripper elements or pads 82. Secured to thetubular shaft 80 exteriorly of the side member 3 is an arm 83 (Figs. 3and 6) having journalled thereon a roller 83' which is adapted to beengaged by a cam 84 that is secured to the clutch controlled shaft E25.Engagement of the high part of the cam 84 with the roller 83' holds thearms 81 and gripper pads 82 in the normal positions thereof shown inFigs. 1, 7 and 8 for a predetermined portion of a cycle of operation ofthe machine. Secured to the tubular shaft 30 also exteriorly of the sidemember 3, or formed integrally with the arm 83, is another arm 87 whichis adapted to be engaged by a roller 85 journalled on a gear 86 which issecured to and drives the clutch controlled shaft and is disposedbetween the cam 84 and the side member 3. Engagement of the roller 85with the arm 87 effects pivotal movement of the arms 81 and gripper pads82 relatively to and away from the gripper bar 75 to release theextracted envelope. The arm 83 and gripper pads 82 are continuouslyurged in the direction of the cam 84 and gripper bar 75, respectively,by suitable resilient means such as, for example, an extension coilspring 87 having one end connected to said arm and the opposite endconnected to the side member 3.

In the operation of the gripper elements .75 and 82 during one cycle ofoperation of the machine, let us assume that the shafts 67 and 125 areinoperation, and that the sealing flap of the lowermost envelope in themagazine 59 is being unfolded and extended by the flap-opening member69. At this time, the gripper arms 81 and pads 82 occupy the positionsthereof shown in Fig. 7 effected I through engagement of the high partof cam 84 with the roller 83', and the gripper bar 75 is being rockedtowards the gripper pads 82, effected by the contracting action of thespring 77' under the control of the cam 79, until said gripperbarengages the now extended envelopeflap and yieldingly presses itagainst the gripper pads 82. Thereupon the cam 84, through continuedrotation there of, moves out of engagement with the roller 83', thusreleasing the arm 83 for free pivotal movement in the direction of saidcam and thereby enabling pivotal move ment of the gripper arms 81 andpads 82 toward and with the gripper bar 75 under the contracting actionof the spring 87. Thereupon the high part of the cam 79, throughcontinued rotation of said cam, engages the roller 78 and swings thegripper bar 75, accompanied by the gripper arms 81 and pads 82 with theextended envelopeflap firmly gripped by and between the same, about theaxis 73 downwardly and rearwardly from the positions thereof shown inFig. 8 to the positions shown in Fig. 10, thus completely extracting thelowermost envelope from the magazine 59 and positioning the same asshown in broken lines in Fig. 10. The grippers 75, 82 with theenvelope-flap gripped thereby pause for a predetermined interval in thepositions thereof shown in Fig. to enable introduction of the stufiingpocket or device 29 into the extracted envelope, as hereinafterdescribed.

In the extracted position of the envelope, as shown in Fig. 10, it willbe noted that the envelope has been drawn by the grippers 75, 82 overtransversely spaced guide tongues or blades 89 such that the extendedflap of said envelope is disposed over said blades and the latterproject into the mouth of the envelope. The gripper arms 81 have securedthereto L-shaped fingers 88 which operate to press the extendedenvelope-flap downwardly towards and against the guide tongues 89 duringthe extraction of the envelope from the magazine 59 and thereby causethe body of said envelope to open, as shown in Fig. 10, for thereception of said tongues into the mouth thereof. The guide tongues 89are angularly disposed across the outlet end of the stuffing device orpocket 29, and are mounted for rotary yielding movement on stub shaftsor pins 89 secured to and projecting inwardly from the side members 2,3. Suitable resilient means such as, for example, torsion springs 89'are provided for yieldingly urging the guide tongues 89 upwardly untilstop dogs connected thereto abut against stop-pins 89, as shown in Figs.1 and 9.

The lowermost envelope having been extracted from the magazine 59 andpositioned over the guide tongues 89, as shown in Fig. 10 and ashereinbefore described, and a letter or other sheet having beenpreviously fed, folded, and inserted into the expanded stuffing device29 with or without supplemental inserts fed from the plate 33, saidstufiing device in contracted condition is then rocked forwardly aboutthe axis 33, effected by the con tracting action of the spring 52 underthe control of the cam 55, until the leading open end of the stuffingdevice projects a short distance beyond the bite of two axially spacedpairs of opposed stripping rollers 91, as shown in 'broken lines in Fig.1, both sections of the stufling device 8 29 being provided withopenings (Fig. 6) to receive said rollers. Under these conditions, thestuffing device 29 passes over the guide tongues 89 and under theextended flap of the extracted envelope, depresses said tongues andtherewith the body portion of said envelope, and then enters the mouthof the envelope in a downwardly inclined position until the leading endthereof engages the closed end of said envelope, all as shown in Fig.11. Entry of the stufling device 29 in a downwardly inclined positioninto the extracted envelope causes the insert or inserts to sliderelatively to said device toward and into engagement with the closed endof the envelope. Simultaneously with or just prior to engagement of thestuffing device 29 with the closed end of the extracted envelope, thegrippers 75 and 82 are opened through engagement of the roller 85 withthe arm 87 and lifting of the gripper arms 81 resulting therefrom,whereupon the stuffing device 29, through continued forward movementthereof, advances the released envelope between the stripping rollers 91which then remove or strip said envelope together with the insert orinserts from the stuffing device and further advance the envelope withthe insert or inserts therein toward and into engagement with avertically disposed deflecting plate 92.

After release of the envelope by the grippers 75, 82, the gripper arms81 are returned to their original positions (Fig. 7) through engagementof the high part of cam 84 i with the roller 83, and the gripper bar 75is thereafter rocked toward said arms by the contracting action of thespring 77 to engage the extended flap of the next envelope during thenext cycle of operation of the machine. The stripping rollers 91 aresecured to intergeared transverse shafts 91 which are journalled attheir opposite ends in suitable hearings in the side members 2, 3. Therollers 91 are rapidly rotated to strip the envelope and inclosure as aunit from the stuffing device 29, and for this purpose, one of theshafts 91 has secured thereto exteriorly of the side member 2 a pinion169, which is continuously driven by the gear 12 through intermediategears 157, 158, and 159 suitably journalled on the side member 2.

As shown in Fig. 11, the deflecting plate 92 directs the envelope withthe insert or inserts therein downwardly with the closed end of theenvelope leading between a moistening device 93 and a heating element 95and between feed rollers 96 and cooperating spring-pressed pressurerollers 96 which further advance said envelope until the latter comes torest in vertical position on a transverse trough-like or V-shaped bar97. The moistening device 93 has embedded in the outer face thereof afelt pad or tape 93' which is of the same shape and size as the gummedportion of the envelope-flap and is moistened in a suitable manner bysuitable means (not shown) for this purpose. Engagement of the envelopewith the bar 97 locates the sealing flap in accurate position formoistening of the gumrned portion of said flap by the pad 93 hastened bythe heating element 95.

The moistening device 93 is secured to a transverse rock shaft 98 forpivotal movement towards and away from the heating element 95 to engagethe moistened pad 93' with the gummed portion of the envelope-flap andpress the latter against the heating element 95, and to thereafterrelease the moistened envelope-flap. Shaft 98 is journalled at its endsin suitablebearings in the side members 2, 3 and has secured theretoexteriorly of the side member 2 an arm 99 (Fig. 2). Pivotally connectedto arm 99 is one end of an adjustable link 1% the opposite end of whichis pivotally connected to an arm 191' which is pivotally mounted at 102on the side member 2. Arm 101 has journalled thereon a roller 101 whichengages a cam 103 that is journalled on a stud 104 secured in the sidemember 2. Secured to the cam 103 is a gear 105 which meshes with and isdriven by the gear 58 of the same size to make one revolution for eachcycle of operation of the machine. Roller 101 is maintained inengagement with cam 103 by an extension coil spring 99 having one endthereof connected to the arm 99 and the opposite end suitably anchoredto the side member 2. The moistening device 93 is thus cam operated bycam 103 towards the heating element 95 to moisten the sealing flap ofthe envelope,

resting on bar 97, as shown in Fig. 12, and is spring operated by spring99 away from the moistened sealing flap to its original position, shownin Fig. 11. The heating element 95 which may be of the electrical,thermostatically controlled type is suitably carried by the side members2, 3 in fixed relation to the moistening device 93.

The feed rollers 96 are secured in axial spaced relation on a transverseshaft 96 which is journalled at its opposite ends in suitable hearingsin the side members 2, 3. The feed rollers 96 are continuously rotatedby means of a chain 156 (Fig. 2) disposed exteriorly ofthe side member 2and which engages a sprocket 156* that is secured to the feed-rollershaft 96 The chain 156 passes around and is driven by a sprocket 156which is secured to the driven stripping-roller shaft 91' and isdisposed between the pinion 160 and the side member 2. The chain 156also passes around and drives a sprocket 156 which is secured to one ofthe journals of a pair of cooperating delivery rollers 116 hereinafterreferred to, and further passes around an idler sprocket 156" adjustablycarried by the side member 2. The pressure rollers 96 are journalled onspring-pressed arms 96 which are pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft96 that is fixed at opposite ends thereof in the side members 2, 3.

In order to insure moistening of the gummed portion. only of theenvelope-flap, a flap-masking or protecting plate 94 is verticallydisposed between the moistening device 93 and the heating element 95and. has its upper end extending to the pad 93' and shaped to conform tothe contour of said pad and the gummcd portion of the envelope-flap. Theplate 94 is secured at its lower end to a transverse shaft 94 which isjournalled for free rocking movement at its opposite ends in suitablehearings in the side members 2, 3. The plate 94 is normally disposed inthe position thereof shown in Fig. 11 so as not to obstruct the downwardmovement of the envelope and to guide said envelope between the rollers96 and 96. When the moistening device 93 is rocked towards the heatingelement 95 to moisten the gurnmed portion of an envelope-flap, the plate94 is rocked by said device into flap-protecting position, as shown inFig. 12, and when the moistening device 93 is rocked away from themoistened envelope-flap, the plate 94 swings by gravity away from theenvelope and returns to its original position.

The V-shaped envelope-supporting bar 97 is provided at opposite endsthereof with axially aligned pins 108 which are eccentrically located onsaid bar and are journalled in suitable bearings in the side members 2,3. The bar 97 is normally disposed in the position thereof shown inFigs. 1 and 11 to receive and support an envelope during the moisteningof the flap thereof by the moistening device 93. When the gummed portionof the envelope-flap has been moistened and said fiap is released by themoistening device 93, the bar 97 is rocked approximately 90 degrees outof supporting relation with the envelope, whereupon said envelope isreleased by said bar and is immediately advanced further downwardly ontoand along a curved plate 115 by the action of the rollers 96, 96"thereon. The pressure rollers 96 are preferably adjusted relatively tothe feed rollers 96 such that they frictionally engage the body portiononly of the envelope, thus avoiding contact of said rollers 96 with themoistened gummed portion of the envelope-flap and transfer of adhesivethereto.

Asshown in Figs. 2 and 6, rocking motion is continuously imparted to theenvelope-supporting bar 97 by a bell-crank lever 109 secured to one ofthe pins 108 exteriorly of the side member 2 and having one arm thereofarranged to engage a stop pin 109' carried by said side member forlocating said bar in accurate envelope-receiving and supportingposition, as shown in Fig. 11. In this position of the bar 97, the otherarm of the bell-crank lever 109 is engaged by a roller 110 journalled onthe arm 110' of a second bell-crank lever, the other arm of which isindicated at 154. The bellcrank lever 110', 154 is secured exteriorly ofthe side member 2 to a transverse shaft 111 which is journalled insuitable bearings in the side members 2, 3. Pivotally connected to thebell-crank arm 154 is one end of an adjustable link 112 the opposite endof which is pivotally connected to a crank-pin 113 which is secured inthe single revolution, main drive gear 12. It will thus appear thatthrough continuous rotation of the gear 12 one complete revolution inthe direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 2, the envelope-supportingbar 97, through engagement of the roller 110 with one arm of thebellcrank 109, will be rocked in one direction to the position thereofshown in Fig. 12 to release the envelope, and through subsequentengagement of said roller with the other arm of said bell-crank, will berocked in the opposite direction to the position shown in Fig. 11 inreadiness to receive and support the next or succeeding envelope fedinto the machine, said operations occurring in timed relation with theoperation of the moistening de vice 93.

When the moistened envelope with the insert or inserts therein isadvanced by the rollers 96, 96 onto and along the curved plate 115 andis released by said rollers, said envelope slides further along saidplate by gravity and momentum with its closed end leading and itsmoistened sealing flap uppermost and partly folded, as shown in brokenlines in Fig. 12, until it engages stops 115' carried by said plate atthe rear end thereof. Engagement of the envelope with the stops 115'locates the forward flap-end thereof adjacent a pair of cooperating,intergeared, delivery rollers 116 which are continuously driven by thechain 156, as hereinbefore described. The plate 115 is suitablysupported on the side members 2, 3, and the curvature thereof isconcentric with the axis of the shaft 111.

Upon engagement of the envelope with the stops 115, said envelope isengaged at the closed end thereof by transversely spaced, oscillatingkicker-arms 114 and forwardly ejected by said arms between the deliveryrollers 116, whereupon the moistened flap is completely folded onto thebody of the envelope and pressed against the same by said rollers. Thearms 114 are secured to the shaft 111 and extend downwardly therefrombelow the plate 115 and operate in suitable slots formed in said plate.By virtue of the described mounting of the arms 114 on the shaft 111,said arms are operated in timed relation with the operation of theenvelope-supporting bar 97 and by the same mechanism which operates saidbar. Accordingly, when the bar 97 is rocked out ofsupporting relationwith the envelope thereon to release said envelope, the arms 114 arerocked to their rearmost inoperative position (Fig. 12), and when saidbar is rocked into envelope-receiving and supporting position, said armsare rocked to their foremost operative position to eject the releasedenvelope from the plate 115 between the delivery rollers 116. From thedelivery rollers 116, the sealed envelope passes between a second pairof cooperating, intergeared delivery rollers 117 which serve to furtheriron the sealed flap and to discharge the sealed envelope from themachine into a receptacle (not shown) or onto a stacking or otherconveyor, as desired. The delivery rollers 117 are continuously rotatedfrom the rollers 116 through an intermediate gear 118 suitablejournalled on the side member 2.

In the illustrated embodiment, when the electric motor 15 is started todrive the machine, the rollers 4 to 8,

inclusive, 35, 36, 91, 96, 116, and 117, and the envelopesupporting bar97 and kicker-arms 114 are continuously operated by the described meansfor this purpose. The operation of the other devices, such as, thestufling pocket 29, the envelope-flap-opening member 69, theenvelopeextracting grippers 75, 82, and the envelope-flap-moisteningdevice 93 are, however, clutch controlled and in the present instanceare under the control of the operator, so that said devices may beoperated only when and so long as insert material is present on one orthe other or both of the feed tables 16, 33 for entry into the machine.In this manner, idle operation of said devices and of the variousoperating parts therefor is completely avoided, resulting in prolongedlife of the machine.

As shown in Figs. 2', 3 and 3, the clutch-controlled operation of theabove devices under the control of the operator is effected by thefollowing instrumentalities constructed, mounted, and operated asfollows: Secured to the motor driven single revolution, main drive shaft11 exteriorly of the side member 3 is a gear 107 which meshes with anddrives a similar gear 119 of the same size which is loosely mounted onthe shaft 49 and is formed with an'extended hub 120. Slidably carried bythe hub 120 of gear 119 for axial movement relative to said gear and theshaft 49 is a coupling pin 121 which is adapted under certain conditionsto enter a suitable axially aligned opening 121 formed in a gear 123which is fixed on the shaft 49 between the gear 119 and the side member3. The coupling pin 121 is provided with a radially projecting pinportion 122, and is yieldingly urged towards the gear 123 by acompression coil spring 122 surrounding the same and disposed betweenthe portion 122 and the hub 120. The gear 123 meshes with anintermediate gear 124 which, in turn, meshes with the gear 86 and with agear 126. The gears 86 and 126 are the same size as the gear 123 and,hence, they also will make one revolution for each cycle of operation ofthe machine. The gear 86 carries the gripper-opening roller 85, ashereinbefore described, and is fixed on and drives the shaft 125 which,as hereinbefore described, carries the cams 79 and 84 for effecting theclosing of the gripper elements 75, 82 and the envelope-extractingoperation thereof. The gear 126 is suitably journalled on the sidemember 3 and carries a crank-arm 127 having aroller 129 journalled at128 thereon. Roller 129 is engaged in an elongated opening 130 formed inan arm 131 which is secured to the shaft 67 to impart rocking motionthereto, said shaft effecting the operation of the envelope-flap openingmember 69, as hereinbefore described.

It will thus appear that when the coupling pin 121 is disengaged fromthe gear 123, said gear will not be rotated and the driven gear 119 willmerely rotate idly on the shaft 49. Accordingly, shaft 49 will not berotated to effect operation of the stuffing device 29, the moisteningdevice 93 and the described operating connections therefor, and thegears 86, 126 and the shaft 125 will not be rotated to effect operationof the flap-opening member 69, the extracting gripper elements 75, 32and the described operating connections therefor.

Engagement of the coupling pin 121 with the gear 123 to provide foroperation of the stufling device 29, the flap-opening member 69, theextracting gripper elements 75, 82 and the moistening device 93 inproper timed relation with each other is controlled by the operatorthrough the medium of a key, push-button, or the like, convenientlylocated at the A position (Fig. 3) and which is adapted to engage onearm 133 of a bell-crank lever, the other arm of which is in the form ofa latch and indicated at 134. The bell-crank 133, 134 is pivotallymounted as at 132 on and exteriorly of the side member 3, and thelatch-arm 134 of said bell-crank is adapted to normally engage a pin 143which is secured to and projects inwardly from an arm 135 which ispivotally mounted as at 136 on the side member 3. The latcharm 134- isyieldingly urged toward and into engagement with the pin 143 by anextension coil spring 134 having one end thereof connected to. said armand the opposite end connected to the side member 3. Engagement of thelatch-arr'n134 with the pin 143 holds the arm 135 in its raised position(Fig. 3) and against pivotal downward movement.

The arm 135 has journalled thereon at the free end thereof a roller 137which is engaged in a bifurcated arm 137. This arm 137 is secured to theshaft 19 Wl' h canes the described sheet arresting stops 20 associatedwith the sheet positioning plate 15. Pivotally connected to the arm 135'at the free end thereof is the upper end or a connecting link 13%, thelower end of which is pivotally connected as at 139 to a couplingcontrol lever 141. This lever 141 is pivotally mounted as at 14% on theside member 3 and is formed at the free end and outer side thereof witha cam-track 142 which is disposed in the path of rotation of the portion122 of the coupling pin 121 to cause-disengagement of said pin from thegear 123 and to normally hold the same in disengaged position (Fig. 3during rotation of the gear 119.

It will thus be apparent that when the bell-crank 133, 134 is manuallyrocked against the tension of the spring 134 to disengage the latch-aim134 from the pin 143, the arm 135 is released and immediately drops bygravity aided by the weight of the link 138 and lever 141, resulting indownward pivotal movement of the lever 141 and arm 137. Under theseconditions, the coupling pin 121 is'released by the lever 141 to enterthe opening 121 in the gear 123 under the expanding action of the spring122 and thereby couple said gear with the driven gear 119, and at thesame time the shaft 19 is rocked by the arm 137 and thereby swings thegage stop 20 downwardly away from the feed plate 16 and out of the pathof movement of the letter or other sheet on said plate. Thereupon theletter or other sheet slides from the plate 16 and passes through themachine for subsequent folding and delivery to the stuffing device 29,and said device, the envelope-flap opening member 69, theenvelope-extracting grippers '75, 32, and the envelopeflap moisteningdevice 93 are operated, as hereinbefore described, in timed relationwith each other and with the operation of the gage-stop 28 to open theflap of an envelope, extract said envelope from the magazine 59, insertthe folded letter or other sheet therein, and moisten the sealing flapthereof. It will be noted that although the key-controlled bell-cranklever 133, 134 may be actuated at any time by the operator, the couplingpin 121 can only enter the opening 121 in the gear 123 when said pin isin axial alignment with said opening, thus the relative timing of theoperation of the devices 29, 69, 75, 82 and 93 with respect to eachother and to the operation of the gage-stop 20 is maintained andinsured.

Secured to the link 138 invertical spaced relation and projectinginwardly from said link are two pins 144 and 145 between which isangularly disposed a bar 146. This bar 146 is pivotally connected at itsupper end to an arm 147 which, in turn, is secured to the shaft 143which carries the gage-stop 34 associated with the second feed plate 33for the supplemental inclosures or inserts. The bar 146 rests by gravityon the pin 144 so that when the link 138 is lowered to effect engagementof the coupling pin 121 with the gear 123, as described, said bar willalso drop by gravity to the broken line position thereof shown in Fig. 3for abutting engagement at the extreme lower end thereof by-a roller 15%which is journalled on the continuously driven, single revolution gear107. Engagement of the roller 156 with the bar 146 imparts upward bodilymovement to said bar, whereupon the arm 147 and therewith the shaft 143are rocked in the proper direction to swing the gage-stop 34 downwardlyaway from the feed-plate portion 33' and out'of the path of movement ofthe supplemental in- 13 Y closure or insert on said plate portion.Thereupon the supplemental inclosnre, which may be a card, paper slip,return envelope, leaflet, or the like, slide from the plate 33, 33 andpasses through the machine into the stufiing pocket 29 for subsequentinsertion, together with the folded letter or other sheet, into theenvelope. The operation of the gage-stop 34 thus also occurs only whenthe coupling 120, 123 is engaged, and said operation is so timed withrespect to the operation of the gage-stop 20 that the supplementalinclosure or insert will meet the letter or other sheet substantially atthe same time that the second fold is made therein, whereby saidinclosure will pass between the rollers 7, 8 with the twice foldedletter or other sheet and will be disposed within and between the pliesof said sheet. When the roller 150 moves out of engagement with the bar146 through continued rotation of the gear 107, said bar, the arm 147,shaft 148, and gage-stop 34 are returned to their original positions bythe contracting action of an extension coil spring 161 (Fig. 2) havingone end thereof connected to the side member 2 and the opposite endconnected to an arm 162 which is disposed exteriorly of said side memberand secured to the adjacent end of the shaft 148.

It will be apparent that the machine may be utilized, as desired, tofold and insert folded letter or other sheets only into the envelopes bymerely employing only the feed table 16, or to hold and insert foldedletter or other sheets with supplemental inclosures into the envelopesby employing both feed tables 16 and 33, or to insert simple inclosuressuch as, for example, cards, paper slips, leaflets, etc., into theenvelopes by merely employing the feed table 33. It will also beapparent that one or the other of the fold plates 23, 26 may, throughthe provision of the usual deflectors (not shown), be renderedinoperative in accordance with the size. of the sheet and therequirement as to the number of folds that are to be made therein.

When the coupling 120, 123 is engaged and the machine has completed onecycle of operation, resulting in the discharge of a single sealedenvelope therefrom, the coupling 120, 123 is again disengaged, whereuponthe various devices under the control of said coupling are stopped intheir original positions in readiness for the performance thereof on thenext insert envelope unit. This disengagement of the coupling 120, 123and timing thereof is effected by an arm 151 which is secured to theouter surface of the continuously driven, single revolution, main drivegear 12 (Fig. 2). The arm 151 is provided at the upper end thereof witha cam surface 151' which is adapted to engage a roller 152 which isjournalled on the free end of an arm 152*. This 'arm 152 is secured toone end of a transverse shaft 149 which is journalled in suitablehearings in the side members 2, 3. Secured to the opposite end of theshaft 149 exteriorly of the side member 3 is another arm 153 (Fig. 3)which is disposed between said side member and the bar 146 and extendsbeneath the pin 145 on the link 138.

-It will thus be apparent that when the coupling 120, 123 is engagedthrough downward movement of the link 138, as above described, and themachine has completed one cycle of operation, the cam-arm 151, throughcontinued rotation with the gear 12, will engage the roller 152, rockthe arm 152 upwardly, and then move beyond said roller and release saidarm to return to its original position by gravity aided by suitablespring means if necessary. This motion of the arm 152 is transmittedthrough the shaft 149 to the arm 153 which, in turn, engages the pin 145and thereby raises the link 138, lever 141, arms 135 and 137 until thelatch arm 134 snaps beneath the pin 143, at which time the arm 152*.swings downwardly and releases the link 138 for downward movement in thenext cycle of operation of the machine. As a result of the upwardmovement of the lever 141 and arm 137 the coupling pin 121 is withdrawnfrom the gear 123 through engagement of the pin-portion 122 with thecam-track 142 on the raised lever 141, thus disconnecting the drive tothe gear 123, and the gage-stop 20 is returned to its original positionto receive and hold the next letter or other sheet in readiness forfeeding into the machine at the beginning of the next cycle of operationof said machine when the control key and/or bell-crank lever 133, 134 isagain depressed and the coupling 120, 123 is again engaged. It is to beunderstood that suitable locking means may be provided to hold thecontrol key and/or bell-crank lever 133, 134 in depressed position sothat all of the described timed mechanisms will operate continuously intimed relation with each other. i

The operation of the auxiliary gage-stops 22 is timed to occur at ornear the end of each cycle of operation of the machine so that the nextand succeeding letter or other sheets placed on the feed plate 16 and inposition against said stops will be released by the latter at or nearthe end of each preceding cycle to slide along said plate into positionagainst the gage-stop 20 in readiness for feeding into the machine inthe next and each succeeding cycle of operation of the machine. For thispurpose, the arm 152 which, .as hereinbefore described, is operated bythe cam-arm 151 on the gear 12 at the end of each cycle of operation ofthe machine has pivotally connected thereto one end of a link 163 (Fig.2), the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to one arm 164 of abell crank 165, the other arm of which is indicated at 166. Secured tothe arm 166 is a rod 167 which is offset inwardly and straddles a pin168 secured to the shaft 21 which carries the auxiliary gage-stops 22.It will thus be apparent that when the arm 152 is rocked upwardly by thecam-arm 151 to elfect disengagement of the coupling 120, 123 at the endof each cycle of operation of the machine, as hereinbefore described,the auxiliary gage-stops 22 will, through the described operatingconnections therefor with the arm 152., be rocked downwardly at the sametime and thereby release the letter or other sheet positioned againstthe same for sliding movement along the feed plate 16 into engagementwith the gage-stop 20. When the arm 152' is thereafter rockeddownwardly, the auxiliary gagestops 22 will be rocked upwardly andreturned to their original positions to receive a succeeding letter orother sheet.

The operation of the sheet folding, envelope stuffing and sealingmachine constructed in accordance with the present invention will beclearly understood from the foregoing description, and while saiddescription and the accompanying drawings set forth with more or lessparticularity one embodiment of the invention, it is to be expresslyunderstood that said invention is not limited to said embodiment.Various changes may be made therein, particularly in the design andarrangement of the parts illustrated, as well as in the mode ofoperation and manner of use, without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention, as will now be. clear to those skilled in the art. Fora definition of the limits of the invention, reference is had primarilyto the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a [horizontally extending]stufiing device movable from a first position along a predetermined pathto a second position, said stul'fing device being arranged to receive afolded sheet therewithin when the stuffing device is in said firstposition, means for positioning an envelope in said path of movement ofthe stalling device [and intermediate said first and second positions ofthe stuffing device] with the sealing flap of the envelope extended andthe mouth of the envelope open and facing said stufling device when thelatter is in its first position, means for moving said stufiing devicefrom its first position along said path to cause the stufiing devicewith the folded sheetcarried thereby to enter the envelope [and to carrythe envelope 15 with it to said second position], and means [arrangedand] operable at said second position for stripping the envelope andfolded sheet edgewise from said stuffing device with said folded sheetdisposed within said envelope.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, comprising relea'sable horizontallyextending stop means disposed below the stripping means onto which theenvelope is delivered to stand on its lower closed end thereon, meansfor moistening the gummed area of the sealing flap of said'envelopewhile the latter is so supported, a support disposed below said stopmeans, flap closing and pressing means arranged forwardly of saidsupport, means for operating said stop means to release the moistenedenvelope for downward movement onto and along said support with theclosed end of said envelope leading away from said flap closing andpressing means, means for arresting the movement of the envelope alongsaid support and for positioning said envelope with its sealing flappartly folded and located adjacent said flap closing and pressing means,and operable means for moving the envelope along said support in thereverse direction towards and into operative engagement by said flapclosing and pressing means.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a [horizontally extending]stuffing device movable from a first position in which it lies generallyhorizontal along a predetermined path to a second position in which itsleading end lies substantially lower than its trailing end, saidstuffing device being arranged to receive an inclosure therewithin whenthe stufling device is in said first position, means for positioning anenvelope in said path of movement of the stufling device [andintermediate said first and second positions of the stuffing device]with the sealing flap of the envelope extended and the mouth of theenvelope open and facing said stuffing device, means for moving saidstuffing device along said path to cause the stuffing device with thefolded sheet carried thereby to enter the envelope [and carry theenvelope with it to said second position], a pair of opposed drivenrollers [arranged] operable at said second position to receive theclosed end of the envelope therebetween so as to strip the envelope andits inclosure edgewise from the stuffing device and to forward themdownwardly at a marked angle to the horizontal, and a verticaldeflecting plate positioned beyond the rollers to intercept theforwarded stripped envelope and to divert it into a vertical path.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a [horizontally extending]stuffing device arranged to receive a folded sheet at a first positionthereof, the stufiing device being in the form of an open-endedflattened wedge-shaped tube arranged to receive the folded sheet throughits wider end and transversely divided into two aligned sections, thestuffing device being movable from said first position along apredetermined path to a second position, means for positioning anenvelope in said path of movement of the stuffing device [andintermediate said first and second positions of the stufling device]with the sealing flap of the envelope extended and the mouth of theenvelope open and facing said stufling device, means for moving saidstufling device along said path to cause the same with the folded sheetcarried therein to enter the envelope [and carry to latter therewith tosaid second position], means [arranged and] operable at said secondposition for stripping the envelope and folded sheet edgewise from saidstuffing device with said folded sheet disposed within said envelope,means. mounting the sections of the stufiing device for pivotal movementas a unit about a horizontal axis along said path and providing forlateral movement of one section towards and away from the other section,and means for moving the said one section away from the said othersection to expand said tube for the reception of the folded sheettherein and for thereafter moving the said one section towards the saidother section to con 16 tract said tube for the introduction of thelatter into the envelope.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a [horizontally extending]stufling device arranged to receive a folded sheet at a first positionthereof and movable from said first position along a predetermined pathto a second position, means for positioning an envelope in said pathwith its sealing flap extended and its mouth open and facing saidstufiing device, means for moving said stuffing device along said pathto cause the same with the folded sheet to enter the envelope [and carrythe latter therewith to said second position], means [arranged and]operable at said second position for striping the envelope and foldedsheet edgewise from said stalling device with said folded sheet disposedwithin said envelope, a horizontally rotatable member disposed below thestripping means and provided with a trough into which the envelope isdelivered to stand on its closed end on said member, moistening meansdisposed above said member and operable toward and away from the sealingflap of said envelope to moisten the gummed area of said sealing flapwhile the envelope is so supported in standing position on said memberand then to release the moistened sealing flap, a backing element forsupporting said sealing flap while moisture is applied thereto by saidmoistening means, a concave support disposed below said member, a pairof horizontally extending vertically arranged driven rollers disposedforwardly of said support, means for rotating said member to release themoistened envelope from the trough thereof for downward movement ontoand along said support with the closed end of said envelope leading awayfrom said rollers, means for arresting the movement of the envelopealong said support and for positioning said envelope with its sealingflap partly closed and located adjacent said rollers, and operable meansengageable with the closed end of the envelope for moving the latteralong the support towards and'between said rollers for closing andpressing of the sealing flap thereby against the body of said envelope.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 comprising a heating element disposedopposite the moistening means for applying controlled heat to thesealing fiap of the envelope while moisture is applied thereto by saidmoistening means.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 comprising a masking element looselymounted below the moistening means for free pivotal movement andextending between said moistening means and the envelope for confiningthe application of moisture to the gummed area of the sealing flap ofsaid envelope.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 comprising cw operating horizontallyextending driven feed and pressure rollers disposed between themoistening means and the trough-member for imparting downward movementto the envelope into engagement with said member and for furtherimparting like movement to said envelope when released by said member.

9. In apparatus of the class described, a [horizontally extending]stufling device movable from a first position along a predetermined pathto a second position, means to feed an inclosure into said stuffingdevice when the latter is in its first position, yieldable blade meansmounted below said path and extending at an angle across said pathforwardly of said stufiing device and in the direction of movement ofsaid stuffing device, means for positioning an envelope in said path ofmovement of the stufiing device [and intermediate said first and secondpositions of the stuffing device] and on said blade means in telescopedrelation, with the sealing flap thereof extending over said blade meansand with its mouth open and facing said stuffing device, means formoving said stufi'ing device along said path to cause the stufiingdevice with its inclosure to pass over said blade means between thelatter and the sealing flap and into the envelope [and to 17 carry theenvelope with it to said second position], and means [arranged and]operable at said second position for stripping the envelope and itsinclosure edgewise from said stuffing device with said inclosuredisposed within said envelope.

10. In apparatus of the class described, a substantially horizontalstufiing pocket transversely divided into two aligned sections, meansmounting said sections for movement as a unit along a predetermined pathfrom a first position to a second position and providing for lateralmovement of one of said sections towards and away from the other of saidsections, means for feeding an inclosure into said pocket at said firstposition, means for moving the said one section away from the said othersection to expand said stufiing pocket for the reception of saidinclosure therein and for thereafter moving the said one section towardsthe said other section to contract said stufling pocket, means forpositioning an envelope in said path [intermediate said positions] withits sealing flap extended and its mouth open and facing said stuflingpocket, means for moving the contracted pocket-sections along said pathto cause the same with the inclosure therein to enter the envelope [andcarry the latter therewith to said second position], and means [arangedand] operable at said second position to grip the envelope at oppositesides thereof and strip said envelope and therewith the inclosureedgewise from said stuffing pocket with said inclosure disposed withinsaid envelope.

11. In apparatus of the class described, a substantially horizontalopen-ended flattened wedge-shaped tube transversely divided into twoaligned sections, means mounting said sections for pivotal movement as aunit about a horizontal axis along a predetermined path from a firstposition to a second position and providing for lateral movement of oneof said sections towards and away from the other of said sections, meansfor feeding an inclosure into said tube at said first position andthrough the wider open end thereof, means for moving the said onesection away from the said other section to expand said tube for thereception of said inclosure therein and for thereafter moving the saidone section towards the said other section to contract said tube, meansfor positioning an envelope in said path [intermediate said positions]with its sealing flap extended and its mouth open and facing said tube,means for swinging the contracted tube along said path to cause the samewith the inclosure therein to enter the envelope and carry the lattertherewith to said second position, and a pair of opposed horizontallyextending driven rollers arranged at said second position to receive theenvelope therebetween and strip said en-' velope and therewith theinclosure edgewise from said tube with said inclosure disposed withinsaid envelope, said tube having end portions thereof removed to enableengagement of said rollers and the envelope.

12. In apparatus of the class described, a substantially horizontalstufiing device, means for feeding an inclosure to said stuffing device,means mounting said stuffing device for movement along a predeterminedpath from its inclosure receiving position to a second position,yieldable blade means mounted below said path and extending at anangleacross said path forwardly of said stufling device and in the directionof movement of said stuffing device, a magazine spaced above andforwardly of said stufiing device and said blade means for holding asupply of envelopes placed flatwise therein with their sealing flapsfolded and at the bottom and extending in a direction away from saidstufling device, flap opening means operable to unfold the sealing flapof the lowermost envelope in the magazine in a direction towards saidstuffing device and to extend said flap beyond said magazine, pivotedextracting means operable to grip the extended flap of the lowermostenvelope, extract said envelope from said magazine downwardly andrearwardly in the direction of said blade means and engage said envelopeon said blade means, means for moving said stuffing device along saidpath to cause the same with the inclosure to pass over said blade meansbetween the latter and the extended sealing flap and into the envelope[and carry said envelope therewith to said second position], and means[arranged and] operable at said second position for stripping theenvelope and the inclosure therewith edgewise from said stuffing devicewith said inclosure disposed within said envelope.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, comprising means carried by theenvelope-extracting means for pressing the extended flap of the envelopeagainst the blade means to thereby expand the mouth of said envelope andfacilitate entry of said blade means therein.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the envelope-flap openingmeans comprises a pivotally mounted element having a thin edge at theleading end thereof and a flap-deflecting portion depending from saidend and having a concave flap engaging surface, weight means carried bysaid element for continuously urging the same into engagement with thesurface of the lowermost envelope in the magazine, and means forimparting reciprocating motion to said element lengthwise of themagazine and the envelope-supply.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the bottom wall of themagazine is spaced at its rear end from the rear wall of said magazineto provide an outlet for the extraction of the lowermost envelope fromthe magazine, and said rear wall is spaced at its lower end from saidbottom wall to facilitate extending of the sealing flap of saidlowermost envelope beyond said magazine, and comprising a gate-memberpivotally mounted on said magazine and movable to a position below andsubstantially in line with said rear wall to hold the next lowermostenvelope from movement with the lowermost envelope when the latter isextracted from said magazine, and means actuated by the flap openingmeans for swinging said gate member away from said magazine when thesealing flap of the lowermost envelope is unfolded and extended.

16. In an apparatus for stufling a plurality of inclosures into an envelpe, comprising: a stufling device in the form of an open-ended flattenedwedge-shaped tube tranversely divided into two laterally alignedsections, said sections being laterally movable relative to each otherbetween an expanded position to receive a plurality of inclosuresendwise therewithin, and a contracted position wherein said inclosuresare telescoped endwise for introduction with said inclosure into anenvelope; means for expanding and contracting said sections to and fromeach other; means for pvsitioning an envelope with the sealing flap ofthe envelope extended and the mouth of the envelope open and facing thestuffing device; means for efiecting relative movement of said stu/fingdevice and saidenvelope positioning means and operative when saidstufiing device is contracted to cause the stufiing device with theinclosure to enter the envelope; and means operable subsequent to entryof said stufiing device and inclosure into said envelope to strip theenvelope and inclosure from said stuffing device with the inclosuredisposed within the envelope.

17. In an apparatus of the class described: a stuffing device includinga pair of complementary aligned and essentially U-shaped sectionsdisposed with their open ends in confronting relation and with theirclosed ends in remote relation; means for moving said sections to andfrom each other to move the closed ends thereof between an expandedcondition to receive an inclosure and a contracted condition forintroduction with said inclm sure into an envelope; means for feeding aninclosure into said stuffing device when said stufiing device is in itsexpanded condition; means for positioning an envelope with the sealingflap of the envelope extended and the mouth of the envelope open andfacing the stufiing device; means for effecting relative m vement ofsaid srufl'ing device and said envelope positioning means to cause thestufiing device with the inclosure to enter the envelope; and meansoperable to grip said envelope and the inclosure and strip the envelopeand inclosure from said stufiing device, the sections of the stufiingdevice being shaped to clear said gripping means.

946,071 Robbins Jan. 11, 1910 20 Iaeger Aug. 31, 1915 Gwinn et a1. June30', 1925. Price Nov. 1, 1932 Moore Nov. 26, 1935 Rosebush Apr. 19, 1938Wuille Sept. 10, 1940 Gates et a1 Sept. 13, 1949 Peterson Ian. 29, 1952Penley Feb. 17, 1953

